After learning about major scales with sharps and flats, it is time to explore enharmonic scales. Understanding these scales is essential to fully grasp the Circle of Fifths and how all key signatures relate. Enharmonic Scales Now that we have analysed major scales and their key signatures with sharps and flats, let’s talk about enharmonic…
Category: Music Theory
1. What is Music?
What is Music? Ever tapped your foot to a song or hummed a tune stuck in your head? That’s music at work! But what is music, really? It’s more than just noise – it’s sound with a purpose, organized using the elements of music to make is feel something! Defining Music For centuries, people have…
2. How to Write Music – The Staff, Clefs, Note & Rest Values Explained
Music is a universal language that brings rhythm and melody to life. We write music using a system of signs and symbols called musical notation. The staff is the base of musical notation. Bar lines divide the music into smaller sections, making it easier to read. Time Signature show how the beats are grouped and…
3. How to read Music? Treble and Bass Clefs Explained
Ready to Crack the Code of Sheet Music? Let’s Start with Treble and Bass Clefs If you’re beginning to learn how to read music, understanding treble and bass clefs is the first step in building a strong foundation. Before diving into time signatures and measures – which we’ll explore in a later post – this…
4. Keeping Time – Pulse, Tempo, Meter, Measures & Time Signature
Understanding Time Signatures and Measures in Music The time signatures and measures in music are essential for organizing rhythm. They define how beats are grouped and how music flows. In this post, we’ll break down pulse, tempo, measures, and time signatures – everything you need to read and play music with more confidence. Pulse: The…
4.a. Transposing Melodies: Keep Pitch Across Clefs
How to write a melody in different clef without changing the pitch of this melody. Pitch is a fundamental element of sound. It plays a crucial role in music when organized within a musical context, as we discussed in an earlier post. It is a perception of how high or low a note sounds. This perception…
What Are Accidentals in Music?
Accidentals in music are symbols that change the pitch of a note. When you place an accidental before a note on the staff, it either raises or lowers the pitch compared to its natural version. Understanding the 12 Notes in an Octave To understand accidentals better, let’s look at the piano keyboard. An octave on…
5c: Beaming Notes for Clear Rhythm
Beaming Notes in Music: A Guide to Rhythmic Clarity When we talk about beaming notes in music, we’re talking about how to group notes like quavers (eights notes) and semiquaver (sixteenths notes). These notes have flags (or called tails) attached to their stems. When these notes come together in groups, we don’t draw each flag….
What is Syncopation in Music?
Syncopation changes the way rhythm feels by shifting the accents. But what is syncopation in music exactly? It’s when a rhythm emphasizes weak beats or offbeats instead of the natural strong beats. This adds surprise, groove, and energy. Learning what is syncopation in music helps understand modern rhythm and how to write or play music…
5a. Slurs and Ties in Music Notation
Slurs vs. Ties in Music: What’s the Difference? Slurs and ties look almost identical, but they play very different roles in music notation. In this post, you’ll learn the difference between slurs vs. ties in music, why they matter, and how they affect performance and rhythm. Understanding how to read and write slurs and ties…